


One of Three

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Community: 1-million-words, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, Het, Kid Fic, Schmoop, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, february bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-22
Updated: 2015-02-22
Packaged: 2018-03-14 13:58:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3413252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joe assures Caitlin she's still his number one. She knows better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One of Three

**Author's Note:**

> February Bingo: prompt "gifts"

Joe West was a tough, strong police detective who wasn't much for sentimentality. 

But as he stood in a hospital room, holding a baby girl just hours old, who was staring up at him with huge dark brown eyes as she chewed her fist, he thought he might make an exception.

 "Hey, little one," he murmured quietly, tracing a finger down her soft cheek. "I'm your daddy... Your mom's here too, she's asleep right now... I think you tired her out..."

"I'm not that tired." The mumble of protest from the bed had Joe turning around, looking into the very tired, but never more beautiful, face of Caitlin Snow. "And I wouldn't miss this for anything."

Joe moved across the room, sat on the bed beside her. Caitlin reached out and laid her hand on the baby's chest, the rise and fall making some of the worry fall away from her eyes. "She's fine," Joe told her, because there had been some concerns, after everything they'd all been through. The baby yawned and Caitlin laughed, tears coming to her eyes and Joe touched the child's cheek again, grinning as the baby's hand came up and caught his finger, holding him tight in her tiny grip. 

"Now there's a metaphor." Caitlin's voice was little louder than a whisper, he thought partly not to disturb the baby, partly because she was exhausted. She was right though; this little one already had him wrapped around her finger. "Hours old and already a daddy's girl."

Carefully, keeping the baby wrapped tightly in his left arm, he moved his right so that he could put it around Caitlin's shoulders.  "You're still my number one," he told her, brushing a kiss across her forehead as she snuggled into him. 

 "One of three," she pointed out, but she didn't sound unhappy about it, and the amused little smile on her face made it clear that she was teasing him. He grinned back, leaned in to kiss her, but just at that moment there was a knock at the door and before they could say anything, the door opened and Iris's head peeked around. 

"Can I come in?" she asked, voice low, brilliant smile on her face. She didn't wait to be told either yes or no, just stepped in and closed the door behind her. 

"You're alone?" Joe asked, surprised, and Iris rolled her eyes, dropping her purse and shucking her coat as she spoke. 

"Barry and Eddie are at a crime scene. Don't worry, it's completely straightforward and boring-" That was directed at Joe, "-and non meta human related." That was for Caitlin. "I just couldn't wait to see this little angel..." As she was speaking, she was nearing the bed and when she got there, Joe tilted his arms just enough so that she could see the baby. The expression that came over her face made Joe wish he had an extra arm just so he could hold a camera and capture it forever. As it was, he knew he'd never forget how the smile on her face got even wider, as did her eyes, how she emitted a gasp before covering her lips with her hands like she was afraid she'd get in trouble for making too much noise.  

"She's so beautiful!" she whispered, one finger reaching out to pull the pink blanket down a little from the baby's face. "Look at those little cheeks..."

"You want to hold her?" Joe asked and Iris's "Can I?" was, he felt, a mere head tilt towards manners. He knew his daughter and no power on this earth was going to stop her holding that baby. 

Iris took her from him carefully, supporting her head and shifting easily until she was cradling the child, rocking her backwards and forwards. From his seat on the bed, Joe could just about make out the baby's big eyes staring up at Iris as Iris cooed, and his throat tightened suddenly as he remembered all the times when Iris was a kid that she'd begged him and her mom for a sibling. "Finally got you that baby sister you always wanted," he told her, surprised at how choked his voice sounded. One of Caitlin's hands closed over his and Iris tore her gaze away from the baby long enough to give him a smile. 

"What's her name?" she asked. 

"Emily," replied Caitlin and Iris looked down at her sister, trying it out. 

"Welcome to the world, Emily West," she said. "I'm your big sister... and we're going to have so much fun together... yes, we are..."

A thought occurred to Joe and he felt his jaw dropping. "Hey, she's too young for you all to be ganging up on me," he warned, but from the twinkle in Iris's eyes, he thought the ship might have already sailed on that one. 

Caitlin patting his shoulder with a mock-sympathetic look on her face sealed the deal.  "Admit it, Joe," she said fondly. "You're completely outnumbered."

She said it quietly, so Iris didn't hear, not that she was listening. Instead, she reached down, passing the baby back to Joe. "I have a gift for Emily," she said, going to her purse and Joe and Caitlin looked at one another. 

"You didn't have to-" Joe began, but when Iris reached into her purse and he saw what she pulled out, he couldn't have said any more if he'd wanted to. 

Through eyes that were suddenly filled with tears, he watched as Iris came back towards the bed, a fuzzy green shape in her hands. "This is McSnurtle the Turtle," she explained to Caitlin, knowing that Joe already knew. "He was my favourite toy growing up... I slept with him every night." She looked down at the toy, ran a hand along its nose. "He and Dad always kept the nightmares away... So I thought Emily might like to have him."

Joe's arms were  busy holding Emily so it fell to Caitlin to reach out and take the turtle, and when Joe still couldn't speak, she was the one who said thank you. Iris just smiled, putting her arms around Joe and pulling him into a hug, one arm reaching to bring Caitlin in too. 

Joe West was a tough, strong police detective and he didn't do tears. 

But sitting in that room, surrounded by the three most precious gifts he'd ever been given, he made an exception. 


End file.
